Through the Lens
by azami.matsuri
Summary: "Why do you want to photograph me?" He inquired, observing her curiously. Tenten pondered for a while and smiled. "Because you are beautiful." Debut One-shot! NejiTen


**A/N**: Hello everyone! This is going to be my first fanfiction and my first NejiTen fanfiction as well! To be honest, I haven't read Naruto for a LONG time (yes I've heard about the eventual "fate" of Neji but SHHHH) therefore there's going to be a lot of OOC-ness with both characters. My inspiration for this one-shot is the "Humans of New York" photography project.

I hope you'll enjoy your stay!

**Summary:** "Why do you want to photograph me?" He inquired, observing her curiously. Tenten pondered for a while and smiled. "Because you are beautiful." Debut One-shot NejiTen

**Disclaimer**: Naruto belongs to Kishimoto Masashi. Oh and I am not a photographer so I apologize for the inaccuracies in the terminology and practice!

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**One-Shot: Through the Lens**

_Just listen to the music of the traffic in the city_

_Linger on the sidewalk where the neon signs are pretty_

~ Downtown, Petula Clark

_I hope I can finish up my project so I can develop these photos_, Tenten thought as she strolled down the sidewalk. _It's amazing how much this city has changed since I was little. _ While she continued her stroll, she would occasionally stop by to snap a photo or two of her surroundings. A flock of pigeons taking flight from the park, an elderly woman cleaning the vegetables in her stall, a dog running fast with its owner at its tail.

As she continued with her photographing, she spotted a guy by the fountain writing in his journal. His long dark brown hair tied in a low ponytail contrasted with the structured posture of his. The strong yet smooth facial structure complimented with his pale skin. What caught her attention were his eyes; a mysterious milky shade of lavender that seem to reflect light.

_Wow, why is such a good-looking guy doing here?_ Tenten wondered as she looked through her camera's lens, _His appearance, posture, poise and the way he's sitting… it's like a beautiful Grecian sculpture. _As she continued to snap photos and slowly edged closer, she didn't realize the guy wasn't too happy.

"Would you kindly please stop photographing me?" The guy snapped irritably. Tenten quickly removed her camera, quite shocked at his reaction.

"Why… are you a celebrity or something?" Tenten curtly replied. _How dare she… well I guess she's only a student… _The guy was about to snap again but closed his eyes and calmed himself down.

"No but I do prefer a bit of privacy." The guy replied as he continued with his journal writing. "It's rude to take multiple photos of someone without their permission." Tenten quickly rummaged through her bag to look for a piece of paper.

"If you want, you can just sign this waiver here and there will be no conflicts!" Tenten waved a piece of paper towards him. "I am Tenten by the way."

"There's no need," The guy sighed in defeat. "Alright you can photograph me as much as you want as long as you don't dirty my image." Tenten chuckled and put the waiver away.

"What's your name? I would prefer to call whomever I photograph by their name rather than referring to 'you there' or something." Tenten smiled and offered her hand. _I guess I can't help it then, _the guy sighed.

"Neji." Neji replied and shook her hand while Tenten made a mental note.

"Alright Neji-san, continue with what you were doing and don't mind me photographing." Tenten smiled and began to snap her camera. Neji continued with his journaling as he would until a thought struck his mind.

"What made you choose photography?" Neji calmly asked. Tenten paused to think before she continued with her task.

"I want to capture the moment I see in front of my eyes," Tenten replied as she adjusted her shutter. "Not only that, I want to share these moments and to connect through photography. Here I want to preserve the moments of the place I grew up in." Neji silently thought to himself as Tenten continued to photograph him.

"Why do you want to photograph me?" Neji inquired, observing her curiously. Tenten pondered for a while and smiled.

"Because you are beautiful." She replied and continued with her task. Neji was surprised and taken aback at the bold remark she made. The surprise in his face was soon replaced with a warm smile as he headed towards Tenten.

"You know, if you held the camera this way, you can create an interesting angle from here," Neji held the camera and showed it to Tenten. "To balance out the colours, keep in mind where is your light source and pay attention to where you're focusing."

"Eh? Are you a photographer as well?" Tenten asked as she applied his advice to her next shot, "Wow you are good."

"Let's just say it's a hobby of mine as well." Neji replied. After another hour or so, Tenten was satisfied with her

"Thank you for taking the time!" Tenten smiled as she handed a Polaroid copy to Neji. "Until we meet again!" After she slipped her camera into her bag, Tenten rushed of to the next location of interest. Neji shook his head and chuckled as he looked at the photo.

"Tenten…" Neji said thoughtfully while pocketing the photo.

oOoOoOo

"Thank you for you presentation. Would Tenten come up next?" The professor called as Tenten handed her laptop to a classmate. As she made her way towards the front of the auditorium, a familiar face caught her eye. _Do I recognize that person?_ Tenten thought to her self as she walked up onstage. Focusing on the face, she could feel her face getting redder. _What the… why is HE here?! _ Sitting in the audience amongst her classmates, professors and panelists was Neji.

"Why aren't you starting your presentation?" The professor asked and noticed Tenten staring, "Oh that person there is Hyuga Neji, an award-winning photographer. He is here to observe the " _Crap, he was an award-winning photographer? _Tenten began to feel nervous,_ I guess it won't do any good if I don't start my presentation now. _Closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, Tenten looked up towards her audience and nervously smiled.

"Um, the theme of my project is 'Urbanization and Our People.' My intention was to photograph the local community where I grew up in and to capture the daily portraits of normality and curiosity of an atypical day." Tenten spoke as she clicked through various photos from the previous week. As she continued explaining about her various subject matter and techniques, she stopped at the photograph of Neji. The audience was silent and low mutters began with curiosity.

"At the time I was taking these photos, I was mesmerized by this person's figure. It's as if a real life Grecian sculpture is sitting at the fountain pondering about whether or not he can hold that pose for a long time" The audience laughed and Tenten noticed Neji was chuckling in the audience.

"What I meant to say was photography is a way of capturing what we see. " Tenten began and calmly stared at her audience. "I want to preserve and share the moments in front of me. Through the eyes of the camera lens, I want to connect what the camera sees with my audience to show a different perspective and outlooks of what's in front of us." Tenten continued with her presentation, and was able to smoothly answer her classmate's critiques and questions at the end. As she thanked the audience, everyone applauded and cheered. Even Neji was smiling and applauded warmly.

"Well done. Thank you Tenten you may have a seat now." The professor smiled as Tenten left the stage.

oOoOoOo

"Great job Tenten! I really loved your theme and your photographs were really amazing!" Tenten's classmate gushed. "Those were amazing perspectives and interesting subject matter!" Tenten beamed as she went towards her professor to hand in her hard copy of the photos.

"Tenten, Mr. Hyuga would like to speak to you." The professor said as Tenten handed her project in. Tenten froze with dread and could only nod. As soon as everyone left the auditorium, Tenten saw Neji approaching her. _Here it comes…_

"I am so sorry for my behavior the previous week." Tenten bowed her head, feeling her face getting warmer in embarrassment. "I was really rude and I didn't realize you were a famous photographer and you had to deal with my unprofessionalism and immaturity…" She trailed off as Neji let out a warm, baritone laugh and felt a hand pat her head. She looked up and saw him smiling.

"No worries, in fact your project was very interesting." Neji warmly commented. He reached into his jacket and took out a business card. "I want to offer you an opportunity to intern at my studio." Tenten stared at Neji with wide-eyes.

"Even after what I did?" Tenten asked as she received the business card.

"Well you have a good eye for photography," Neji said as he held out the Polaroid photo. "And besides, would you like to have lunch with me? That must have been a nerve-racking experience." Tenten couldn't believe what she's hearing. _A job offer AND lunch from a famous photographer?_ Hiding her embarrassment, she smiled shyly and nodded.

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**A/N: ** That was rather… abrupt. == (forgive me please!) What did you think? I know it wasn't really "romantic" but I will probably leave this as a one-shot but who knows if I want to make a series! [Although I think my university life won't let me ==] I am planning to write a series for the NejiTen pairing so do keep a lookout for another fanfic title from me! Oh and please let me know what you think by either reviewing or PMing! Enjoy the rest of your day and onwards!


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